Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans for Staveley ...

Blindcrake Conservation Area
Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan
Draft 3 - February 2011

Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
The Ordnance Survey Mapping included in this document is provided by the LDNPA under
licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to make available townscape appraisal information.
Persons viewing the mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they
wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use.
© Crown Copyright All Rights Reserved LDNPA 100021698 2008
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
BLINDCRAKE CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL AND MANAGEMENT PLAN
Part 1 CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL
Summary of special interest
1 Introduction
2 Location and setting
Location
Boundary
Topography and landscape setting
Geology
Archaeology
3 The historical development of the hamlet
4 The character and appearance of the conservation area
Historic layout, field and street pattern
Townscape analysis
Summary of townscape features
Focal points, views and vistas
Current activities and uses
Open spaces, landscape and trees
Public realm
Local details
5 The buildings of the conservation area
Architectural styles, materials and detailing
Listed buildings
Significant unlisted buildings
6 Negative features and issues
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
Part 2 BLINDCRAKE CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Aims of the management plan
1.2 The benefits of designation
1.3 Legislative background
1.4 Public consultation
1.5 Designation and extension
1.6 Effects of designation
1.7 Listed Buildings
1.8 Significant Unlisted Buildings
1.9 Enhancing and protecting the local character and features
1.10 Trees
1.11 Enhancing and protecting views and the setting of the conservation area
1.12 Enhancement through new development, alterations and extensions
1.13 Retaining historic boundary treatments
1.14 State of repair of the barn adjacent to Low Farm
1.15 Protection of medieval field pattern
2 MONITORING AND REVIEW
2.1 Boundary review
2.2 Document review
Part 3 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
Summary of special interest
The special interest that justifies the designation of Blindcrake Conservation Area can be
summarised as follows:
Historic village with medieval origins located on a quiet rural road;
Rural setting between Moota Hill and Clints Crag on a low ridge above the
Derwent Valley;
Distinctive linear settlement pattern comprising a series of 18 th century
farmhouses, barns and cottages laid out beside a mile-long main thoroughfare;
Fossilised medieval strip field farming pattern to the west of the village, later
enclosed with hedges and a few stone walls, described in 2008 as “undoubtedly
the finest example of its type in the Lake District”;
Unspoiled surviving relationship between historic village and medieval strip field
pattern;
Majority of buildings have architectural and historic interest, seven of which are
grade II listed buildings, and many others which make a positive contribution to
the area’s historic character and appearance;
Well-preserved examples of local Cumbrian stone-built vernacular architecture,
both domestic (usually rendered) and agricultural (usually stonework exposed);
Several well-preserved examples of vernacular longhouses (i.e. conjoined
farmhouses and barns), e.g. Low Farm, High Farm, Main Farm, Croft House and
barn, and Grange Farm, all dating from the 18 th century:
Good examples of 19 th century provincial dwellings, e.g. Greenbank (1832),
Crabtree Cottage (1836), Meadow View (1847), Mountain View (c.1850) and
Woodlands (1876);
Extensive views to Skiddaw and the Buttermere Fells;
Trees and small copses that enhance the setting of historic buildings and soften
the streetscene, giving parts of the village a sylvan atmosphere;
Attractive village green with a backdrop of mature trees and expansive southward
views;
Roadside grass verges;
Prevalent use of local limestone and red sandstone as a walling material, under
greenslate roofs, reflecting the underlying geology of the area;
Surrounding countryside presses right up the side of the area’s spine road and to
the rear of roadside plots;
Small items that add to Blindcrake’s local identity and recognisable sense of
place, e.g. village well, stone-walled pound, horse troughs, village iron finger
post, datestones, cobbled street surfaces;
Strong sense of quiet and tranquillity.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
1 Introduction
Blindcrake is a small historic village which lies about 4 miles north-east of Cockermouth.
It is a predominantly residential village, comprising four working farms and approximately
60 dwellings. The village contains a village green and several Lakeland vernacular
farmhouses, barns and cottages with 18 th and 19 th century origins, seven of which are
grade II listed. Stretching back from the individual farms is an extraordinarily wellpreserved
fossilised medieval field strip pattern. The village’s archaeological, historic
and architectural interest and quiet rural ambience create a place which well merits its
conservation area status.
Fig. 1 Blindcrake Hall is one of seven listed buildings
in Blindcrake Conservation Area.
Fig. 2 Limestone walls and gate piers are a typical
form of boundary treatment.
The Blindcrake Conservation Area was designated on 22 May 2001 by the Lake District
National Park Authority. Conservation areas are designated under the provisions of
Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. A
conservation area is defined as ‘an area of special architectural or historic interest the
character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’.
Section 71 of the same Act requires local planning authorities to formulate and publish
proposals for the preservation and enhancement of these conservation areas. Section
72 also specifies that, in making a decision on an application for development within a
conservation area, special attention must be paid to the desirability of preserving or
enhancing the character or appearance of that area.
In response to these statutory requirements, this document defines and records the
special architectural and historic interest of the conservation area and identifies
opportunities for enhancement. These features are noted, described and marked on the
Townscape Appraisal Map along with written commentary on how they contribute to the
special interest of the conservation area.
The document conforms with English Heritage guidance as set out in Guidance on
conservation area appraisals (August 2005) and Guidance on the management of
conservation areas (August 2005). Additional government guidance regarding the
management of historic assets and conservation areas is set out within Planning Policy
Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment (PPS5).
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
This document seeks to:
Define the special interest of the conservation area and identify the issues which
threaten the special qualities of the conservation area (in the form of the Appraisal);
Provide guidelines to prevent harm and achieve enhancement (in the form of the
Management Plan).
This document therefore provides a firm basis on which applications for development
within the Blindcrake Conservation Area can be assessed. It should be read in
conjunction with the wider adopted development plan policy framework produced by the
Lake District National Park Authority. These documents include:
(i) The Lake District National Park Local Plan (adopted 1998): Chapter 3 addresses the
conservation of the built environment;
(ii) Lake District National Park Core Strategy (adopted 2010): The Spectacular
Landscape chaper addresses conservation of the built environment
Survey work for this document and the accompanying townscape appraisal map was
carried out during May and June 2010. While the descriptions go into some detail, a
reader should not assume that the omission of any characteristic, such as a building,
feature, view or space, from this appraisal means that it is not of interest.
Fig. 3 Historic dwellings are often rendered; two
storeys is the norm with front entrances facing the
highway.
Fig. 4 Decorative datestones embellish some of the
village farmhouses. This is at Low Farm, seen to the
right of Fig. 3.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
2 Location and setting
Location
Blindcrake is a small village which lies at the north-western limit of the Lake District
National Park in Cumbria. It is situated about 4 miles north-east of Cockermouth and 22
miles south-west of Carlisle just off the A595.
Blindcrake and a neighbouring hamlet, Redmain, lie alongside a narrow, quiet back road
that loops south of, and parallel to, the main Cockermouth to Carlisle road (A595). From
the centre of the village a secondary lane branches downhill through woods to the River
Derwent and the hamlets of Isel and Sunderland. Sunderland can also be reached on
foot via a public footpath from the north end of the village.
Blindcrake lies within the Parish of Blindcrake, one of the smallest parishes within the
Allerdale district of the administrative county of Cumbria, in that part which formerly
comprised the historic county of Cumberland.
Fig. 5 The village lies nestled below a limestone
outcrop known as Clints Crag.
Fig. 6 Public footpaths connect Blindcrake to
Sunderland and surrounding areas.
Boundary
The boundary of the conservation area (see map overleaf) has been drawn to
encompass all of the buildings, historic and modern, that make up the historic linear
village of Blindcrake (including the former Moota Inn) together with open pastoral land on
either side of the main thoroughfare.
The built development of the village contains numerous historic buildings, seven of which
are listed grade II, and a distinctive village green. Rural land surrounding the village is
included in the conservation area principally because of the archaeological significance
of the fields on either side of the main street, in particular the medieval strip field pattern
to be found between the village and the old Roman road (today’s A595). The
surrounding open space also makes a significant contribution to the rural setting of the
village which is elevated above the Derwent Valley between Moota Hill and Clints Crags.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
Topography and landscape setting
The area in general is characterised by gently rolling pastoral farmland divided by a
network of low hedgerows and limestone walls which follow the rising and falling
topography. Blindcrake has an elevated location about 150m above the Derwent Valley.
From Clints Crags (240m), north-east of the village, the land falls in tiers down towards
the valley of the River Derwent which flows westward from Bassenthwaite lake towards
Cockermouth and its confluence with the sea at Workington.
The road through the village declines almost imperceptibly from north-east to southwest.
The upper part of the village, north-east of the village green, lies between the two
local highpoints of Moota Hill and Clints Crags. This ’upper’ part of the village has a
more enclosed atmosphere within the landscape than the ‘lower’ part of the village
where there begins a distinct fall in the land towards the River Derwent, enabling long
southward views to the distant High Fells.
Fig. 7 The south-westward view over the village from
a highpoint on the footpath to Sunderland.
Fig. 8 Narrow slit windows for ventilation are
characteristic features of the village’s barns.
Geology
Blindcrake lies within a narrow band of carboniferous limestone which fringes the
northern extent of the Lake District National Park. There is a working limestone quarry
at Moota Hill. Clints Crags is a limestone outcrop a short walk from the village.
To the north and west of Blindcrake are areas of New Red Sandstone. To the south are
the Skiddaw Slates, the oldest rocks in the Lake District, formed mainly as black muds
and sands settling on the seabed over 500 million years ago.
Archaeology: strip field pattern and historic buildings
Blindcrake is especially notable for its fossilised medieval field strip pattern which
stretches back from the individual farms on the west side of the main thoroughfare
through the village. The long, narrow fields with slightly curving boundaries are a relic of
the ‘open field’ system of agriculture that was prevalent in north-west England in the
Middle Ages.
The open field system consisted of large unfenced fields of land around a settlement
cultivated in strips by individual villagers or families. Neighbouring strips were divided by
only a furrow or small ridge.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
To the west of Blindcrake the former large open fields were subdivided into long, thin
arable strips, at right angles to the village street. In most strips, there is good visual
evidence of medieval ‘ridge and furrow’, an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs
created by ploughing with oxen. The practical needs of an ox and plough also give rise
to the characteristic curved boundaries between strips. Both the broad medieval ridge
and furrow (about 15 to 20 yards wide) and the 18 th century narrow ridge and furrow
(about 2 or 3 yards wide) are present.
A villager might have several strips in various fields, so that he had a share of both the
better and the poorer land - an arrangement that, in Blindcrake, is perpetuated in the
current fragmented arrangement of land ownership.
To the east of the village street the larger, rectangular fields and woodland were the
demesne lands belonging to the lords of the neighbouring manor of Isel.
Fig. 10 The hedgerows on either side of this narrow
field mark the boundaries of historic strip fields.
Fig. 11 Watery Lonning is an unsurfaced ‘back lane’
that gave access to medieval open fields.
In the 17 th and 18 th centuries private agreements were made between tenants and the
lord of the manor to enclose the narrow field strips, mainly with hawthorn hedges, but
some with limestone walls. This pattern of enclosure can still be seen on the ground
today. Enclosure of medieval strip fields produced what the landscape historian Dr
Angus Winchester describes as “one of the most distinctive elements of the north-west
English landscapes: the narrow, strip-like fields that preserve in their outlines the shape
of the lands and furlongs in the open fields”.
The historic strip field system at Blindcrake is described in the Lake District National
Park Landscape Character Assessment (2008) as “undoubtedly the finest example of its
type in the Lake District”.
Many of the buildings within the conservation area are themselves of archaeological
interest, and are likely to retain evidence of their age, use and construction that might
only be uncovered during building work.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
3 The historical development of the hamlet
Little is known of the early history of the village. The name Blindcrake is an anglicised
derivation of the old Celtic ‘Blaen-craig’. ‘Blaen’ means summit and ‘craig’ means a
rocky outcrop, probably referring to Clints Crag, a limestone outcrop above the village.
(Both ‘blaen’ and ‘craig’ are modern Welsh words).
There is an Iron Age enclosure north of the village on the fell close to Moota Hill
(Ordnance Survey Grid reference NY 141380) and there are two large stone fragments
of an Anglo-Saxon cross shaft at the local parish church of St Michael and All Angels.
This church, which dates from c.1130, is located in the hamlet of Isel about a mile southeast
of Blindcrake. Whilst these few observations do not relate directly to the village of
Blindcrake, they are testament to Iron Age, Anglo-Saxon and Norman activity in the
immediate vicinity.
The derivation of the place name could indicate that the settlement pre-dates the First
Century Roman invasion but this is speculative. The fossilised strip field system to the
west of the village is characteristically medieval.
Fig. 12 Thorneycroft is reputedly the oldest house in
the village with a datestone of 1613.
Fig. 13 The stone-mullioned window in this ruin
suggests a 17 th century date of origin.
There is a reference to ‘Blencriac’ in a 13 th century document and a reference to “the
town of Isall and Blencrayke” in a document of c.1530. ‘Isall’ refers to the nearby hamlet
of Isel where Isel Hall, with its 14 th century pele tower beside a bridging point over the
River Derwent, was once the centre of the manor and parish. ‘Blencrak’ appears on
John Speed’s 1610 ‘Map of Cumberland and Carlisle’ indicating that the settlement was
well established by the start of the 17 th century.
The oldest house in the village would appear to be Thorneycroft which has a datestone
of 1613 (although this might be re-set from another property). Watergarth and Westgate
Farm are the first known stone-built houses in the village, both early Elizabethan, but the
former is now a ruin (with a surviving stone-mullioned window) and the latter burned
down in 1700 (replaced by today’s Westgate Farmhouse). Datestones and historic
evidence indicate that all of the village’s farmhouses date from the 18 th century. During
this time (c.1650-1750) the settlement developed from a collection of primitive timber
and thatch dwellings to the linear layout of stone-built farmhouses that still exists today.
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Fig 11a Blindcrake historic field system in 1867 and 1900. Compared to present day (see current conservation area map above) little has changed

The village economy was based primarily on agriculture. Water came from numerous
wells. Barns were used for animals and storage. The village had a local quarry and
limekiln, a smithy and, at one time, a local flax spinning industry (located at the site of
today’s Grove House where the datestone ‘BII 1724’ is set into the boundary wall).
The former Moota Inn stands alone at the edge of the conservation area beside the fastflowing
traffic of the A595. Its earlier name was ‘Moothay Gate’, it having been at one
time been a toll house. Nearby, just outside the conservation area is a grade II listed
late 18 th century milestone (CARLISLE 22 MILES…) for the Carlisle to Cockermouth
turnpike. At the start of the 19 th century Moota Hill quarry was a source of ‘white
freestone’.
During the first half of the 19 th century a small number of houses were built in the village,
e.g. Greenbank, Crabtree Cottage, The Flaggs and London Row. Parson & White’s
1829 Directory& Gazetteer contains an inventory of Blindcrake’s occupations which
include 3 victuallers, 1 schoolmaster, 2 shoemakers, 1 blacksmith, 1 tailor, 1 carpenter
and 17 farmers. As the century neared its end a Mission Room and Reading Room
(now the Village Hall) were created out of a row of old cottages. In 1894 a Primitive
Methodist Chapel was built on the site of a cottage at the end of the same row.
Fig. 14 Hedges as well as limestone walls (see Fig.
15 opposite) are a common front boundary.
Fig. 15 Former agricultural barns converted to
residential use.
The village green was formerly the site of the village pond, called Mortar Dub, which was
filled in after 1900 having been blamed for recurring fevers in the village. The village
pump was situated in the road boundary wall of Grange Farm. In about 1873 it was
removed and a memorial tablet (‘In memoriam C.L.1873’) was placed in the wall at the
same position. The village well, now grade II listed, was moved from the road to its
present position c. 1920. It was used until the late 1930s when piped water was brought
into the village. Electricity came to Blindcrake in 1954.
There was little new building development in the village in the first half of the 20 th
century. The Oaks were built by Cockermouth Rural District Council in 1949 but it was
not until the 1960s that a phase of ‘infill’ houses began. Since c.1975 many old
cottages have been altered and extended (some to the detriment of their historic
interest) and disused farm buildings have been converted to dwellings. The last
remaining village pub closed in 2001 and the chapel in 2000; both are now residences.
Today there are about 60 dwellings in the village. The 2001 census recorded a
population of 287.

Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
A compact history of the village and its buildings can be found in ‘A History and Survey
of Blindcrake, Isel and Redmain’ (1987) by H.E. Winter. The booklet is now out of print
but is available from Cumbria County Council libraries.
Fig. 16 This simple Methodist chapel was created
from a small 18 th century cottage. Dated 1894, it is
now a dwelling.
Fig. 17 The stone-walled village pound in the corner
of the village green is probably a late 19 th century
addition to the village.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
4 The character and appearance of the conservation area
Historic layout, field and street pattern
Blindcrake has medieval, and possibly earlier, origins. The conservation area
encompasses both the medieval linear settlement layout and the associated medieval
strip field pattern. Village and field pattern reflects over 500 years of evolution and the
close relationship between settlement and supporting agricultural land is still visible.
Street pattern: The village has a distinct linear form with an 18 th and 19 th century building
character. Farmsteads line the main street; most face south-east. Vernacular
farmhouses, barns and cottages are spaced out sequentially on either side of a spine
road of varying width and meandering flat curves. There was once a pond at the site of
today’s village green.
Most development is well set back from the road, particularly in the upper part of the
village. North of the village well, there is no development at all on the east side of the
road.
Fig. 18 Low Farmhouse (1729). The front boundary
wall is a good example of a limestone wall; the
footpath to the front door is cobbled.
Fig. 19 The main road through the village meanders
gently. Here, in the upper part of the village, fields
sweep up to the roadside.
Plots extend back from the main thoroughfare. On the west side of the road between
Thorneycroft and High Farm, plots extend as far as a narrow back lane beyond which is
the medieval field pattern. Elsewhere in the village, plots are much shorter and smaller.
In addition to the village’s main street and the road to Isel, there are back lanes or
‘lonnings’ between the village and the old Roman road (A595). These once gave access
to the strip fields. There is one public (tarmac’d) lane connecting the main street to
Watery Lonning (unsurfaced proceeding westward) and Back Lane (metalled as far as
the former Moota Inn). Other private access between the main street and Back Lane is
available through farmyards.
Field pattern: The fields west of the settlement are remnants of an open field system of
agriculture where there are visible earthwork remains of medieval farming. As noted in
Section 2 (Archaeology) these medieval strip fields, later enclosed with thorn hedges
and a few stone walls, have been preserved within the landscape pattern. The narrow
strip fields stretch back from the farmsteads, nearly all of which are located on the west
of the main thoroughfare.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
The pattern of medieval strips is ‘fossilised’ in the enclosed fields, with the boundaries
consisting of earth banks topped with hawthorn hedges and wire fences, with a few
limestone walls.
The larger rectangular fields on the east side of the road were formerly part of the manor
of Isel, probably enclosed in the 19 th century for pasture. Their size, shape and
rectilinear straight boundaries contrast markedly with the much earlier narrow curved
fields laid out for the benefit of the plough to the west of the main street.
Fig. 20 The north-eastern approach to the village
begins the gradual descent to the Derwent valley.
Fig. 21 A datestone re-set in a boundary wall from a
demolished house known as Allison House.
Townscape analysis
Approaches to the village are bordered by hedgerows. From the west a copse of
roadside trees opposite the village sign proclaims the start of the village but, with the
exception of Woodlands (1876), the historic interest of the conservation area does not
become fully apparent until after a pinchpoint in the road between two 18 th century
buildings on opposite sides of the road: the whitewashed former smithy (adjacent to
Smithy Cottage) and the two-storey grade II listed barn at Westgate Farm. This marks
the 18 th century ‘lower’ limit of the village beyond which the road proceeds northeastwards
for about a mile to the ‘upper’ limit of the village at Elder Tree House, from
where the road rises slightly between enclosing green hedgerows out of the village to
open countryside.
The village is predominantly linear in form with cottages and farmsteads facing southeast
with their long axis running parallel to the main through road. Two-storeys is the
norm (modern bungalows are the exception). No single building stands out in the
townscape.
The upper part of the village has a very spacious feel enhanced by generous gaps
between buildings - although some spaces have been infilled in the late 20 th century.
Historic stone farm buildings stand close to the road between which, at the rear of the
farmhouses, can be glimpsed large modern steel-framed agricultural sheds and silos. In
general, stone boundary walls bound the roadside, although the Ghyll Beck, which flows
beside the west side of the road, is cordoned off with a timber post and rail fence in the
vicinity of Holm Farm.
The lower part of the village between Westgate Farm and The Flaggs can be read as
two clusters of historic roadside buildings north and south of the village green. Each
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
cluster contains old cottages, farm buildings and former 18 th century longhouses (i.e.
long buildings that include a barn and a dwelling under one continuous roof). South of
the green lies Croft House (longhouse) and Westgate Farm (longhouse) facing the
former 18 th century row of cottages that now houses the village hall and former chapel.
North of the green lies Low Farmhouse (longhouse), Blindcrake Hall (longhouse), Main
Farm (longhouse) and much altered 18 th century cottages (e.g. Beech House and
Skiddaw View). There are two contrasting areas of green open space between these
clustered farmsteads: the mown and well-tended open village green to the east and, to
the west, two unkempt marshy fields bounded by limestone walls. From here there are
expansive views to Skiddaw.
Fig. 22 The village green is one of the defining
features of the village.
Fig. 23 Grass roadside verges give the village a
distinctly rural appearance.
The village green is made from the corner of a triangular piece of land formed between
three roads: (1) part of the main thoroughfare alongside Blindcrake Hall, (2) the road
beside which stands Greenbank and London Row, (3) the road beside which stands
Ghyll Yeat and Mountain View. This piece of land is bisected by a narrow public
footpath. There are no farmhouses in this eastern sector of the village which has, in
summer, a leafy character and appearance.
Summary of townscape features
Predominantly linear pattern of development;
Small tracks link main thoroughfare to back lane;
Historic stone and rendered residential and agricultural buildings alongside the
thoroughfare;
Two-storey development is the norm, generally well set back from the road;
Absence of focal point or visually dominant building;
Two distinct clusters of historic farmhouses, farm buildings and cottages north
and south of the village green;
North of the village well, development on west side of road only;
Development more dense (concentrated) in the lower part of the conservation
area, south of the village well;
Village green;
Ghyll Beck;
Prevalence of stone roadside boundary walls;
Modern farm buildings behind historic farmsteads beginning to break the pattern
of development close to roadside;
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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Unobtrusive 20 th century infill;
Enclosed ‘green’ approaches to village from all directions;
Open fields sweeping directly up to the limit of the built environment;
Fig. 24 The back of Skiddaw can be seen in many
westward views. Here it looms over Croft House.
Fig. 25 Trees are an important element in the area’s
townscape, forming a green backdrop to the village .
Focal points, views and vistas
The focus of the village is the village green but there is no single tall building or feature
such as a church spire that catches the eye. Specimen trees in private gardens are the
dominant element in the townscape.
The settlement has grown organically over 400 years without any formal planning and
there is no planned vista. Buildings have been sited for agricultural or access purposes
or to take advantage of the contours of the land or the southern sun. Apart from
pleasing views of the frontages of the village’s many vernacular buildings, the most
significant consciously-designed architectural statement is the well-proportioned
Georgian southern façade of Blindcrake Hall with its symmetrical array of deeply
recessed sliding sash windows and central door. The house can be glimpsed from the
road by London Row and from the public footpath that runs from Crabtree Cottage.
There are several opportunities for scenic views out of the conservation area to Skiddaw
and the Buttermere Fells, particularly from the village green, from the back lane and from
south of London Row. Views of these high fells are limited in the upper part of the
village, where land rising from the road to Clints Crags restricts more distant views to the
south and east.
A good overall view of the village in the landscape can be gained from a highpoint on the
public footpath from Elder Tree House to Sunderland.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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Significant views are shown as follows on the Townscape Appraisal Map (above):
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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A From Back Lane to Skiddaw
B From Ghyll Yeat to Skiddaw
C Panoramic view from the Village Green to Skiddaw
D From Ghyll Yeat to Buttermere Fells
E From Watery Lonning to Skiddaw
F Panoramic view from the Village Green to Buttermere Fells
G Across the Village Green to the frontage of Low Farm
H From London Row to the Georgian façade of Blindcrake Hall
Current activities and uses
Though Blindcrake in recent history once contained a chapel, a shop, a pub and a post
office, the village is now almost exclusively residential with four working farms. The only
non-residential or non-agricultural building is the Village Hall. Most properties are
privately owned or rented dwellings and there is at least one self-catering holiday
cottage. Many former barns (and the aforementioned chapel, shop, pub and post office)
have been converted to residential use.
Fig. 26 A large copper beech beside Greenbank, a
mid-19 th century dwelling with unusual slate-hanging
on the gable end.
Fig. 27 The historic conservation area is primarily
residential and includes some late 20 th century infill
dwellings.
The conservation area has a quiet ambience. Traffic flow along the local rural road
network is minimal and therefore vulnerable to potential increases in traffic volume. The
village features regularly in the annual Garden in Bloom awards and also holds its own
open garden festival, the Garden Safari, every July.
The sound of sheep and birdsong is prevalent but one can occasionally hear the hum of
machinery from the quarry at Moota Hill. Clints Crag gets a mention in Alfred
Wainwright’s ‘The Outlying Fells of Lakeland’ and Blindcrake is the start of a 25-minute
stroll to the summit where there is a quarry and a limestone outcrop.
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Open spaces, landscape and trees
The principal open space, and one of the defining features of the village, is the village
green, an expanse of mown level grass enclosed around its north-eastern boundary by
trees and historic development. The stone-walled pound in the corner of the green was
used to impound stray stock. The absence of roadside kerbs or physical boundary to the
green adds to its open atmosphere and village character. The green’s unbounded
aspect to the south permits fine views to the Buttermere Fells.
Though small in size, the wide roadside verge opposite The Flaggs serves as a tiny,
secondary village green from whence there is a gate leading to the grade II listed village
well. The space contains the village notice-board, a wooden bench, post-box and
telephone kiosk.
Long lengths of roadside grass verges add to the village’s rural ambience, and the
absence of kerbstones further contributes to the conservation area’s attractive
appearance. The wide green verge beside the beck alongside the road past London
Row is particularly noteworthy. The absence of a grass verge outside High Farm Cottage
illustrates the positive impact of the other verges on the village’s rural character and
appearance.
Fig. 28 Small cobbled areas add to the area’s local
identity, notably here, at Low Farm, and at London
Row.
Fig. 29 This small roadside area acts as a secondary
village green. The grade II listed village well is
behind the kiosk.
The only pavement is outside Blindcrake Hall where there is also, on the opposite side of
the road, an area of roadside parking defined by white road markings. Many of the
village’s buildings are well set back from the road and pretty, well-tended cottage
gardens are common.
Most development is located on the north-west side of the main thoroughfare; the way in
which open countryside sweeps right up to the edge of the settlement firmly places the
village within its rural landscape. This is especially notable in the upper part of the
village and between the former chapel and Low Farm.
The boundary of the conservation area has been widely drawn to include open pastoral
countryside to the north-west and south-east of the settlement. This is mainly to
enclose the medieval field pattern, but the green open space is also a vital part of the
rural setting of the village.
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Trees are a special feature of the conservation area. Of note are the trees on the
village green (and those in private gardens that form a backdrop to the green) and the
copper beech at Greenbank.
Public realm: floorscape, street lighting and street furniture
Blindcrake’s floorscape is prevalently rural in character, with a combination of unkerbed
tarmac roads and unsurfaced lanes. There are few road markings or pavements but
grass verges often border the roads, thereby softening the edges of the hard surfaces.
There are some surviving fragments of historic surfaces, mainly cobbled areas which
add textural interest to the conservation area and are historic features in their own right,
for example the cobbled areas at Low Farmhouse, London Row, Home Farm Cottage
and The Barn. The cobbles, rounded by glacial or water action, may have been
collected from the Derwent. Large stone flags in front of The Flaggs may have given
this early 19 th century row of houses its name. Street lighting is muted in design and the
few elements of street furniture are similarly modern and unobtrusive (e.g. benches on
the green and by the post-box).
Boundaries
Limestone walls are the prevalent boundary treatment both for field boundaries and to
border domestic plots, adding to the village’s distinctive stone-built character. Native
species hedgerows are also common. Some stone walls have attractive rounded
copings or crenalated stones (cock-and-hen) or are topped with hedges. Departure from
the characteristic form of boundaries, such as the use of post-and-rail fence, does not
harmonise with the appearance of the conservation area.
Local details
The distinctive local identity of the area is enhanced by a number of small features and
historic elements that cumulatively help to give the conservation area a sense of place,
Stone horse troughs by the village pound.
1930s directional finger post.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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Memorial tablet: ‘In memoriam C.L. 1873’
Stone gate piers and iron gate.
Fig 30 Examples of local details and features that enhance Blindcrake Conservation Area:
for example the village well, the stone horse troughs on the green, water-pumps that
survive at some private properties, the stone-walled pound, mounting blocks, stone gate
piers hewn from a single block, the old iron finger post, stone walls and datestones.
These items should continue to be nurtured and preserved.
5 The buildings of the conservation area
Architectural styles
Buildings within the Blindcrake Conservation date primarily from the 18 th , 19 th and 20 th
centuries. The range of building type is small. Although there is a former nonconformist
chapel the vast majority of buildings are either residential or agricultural. Pre-
1800 buildings are vernacular in style, defined by R. W. Brunskill in ‘Traditional Buildings
of Cumbria’ as: “the products of local craftsmen meeting simple functional requirements
according to traditional plans and procedures and with the use of local building materials
and constructional methods.” Post-1800 houses like, for instance, Greenbank (1832)
and Meadow View (1847), have probably been formally designed by a draughtsman or
local builder/architect.
The oldest building in the conservation area is Thorneycroft (datestone ‘C B 1613’), and
some of the apparently 18 th century buildings may contain earlier fabric. Westgate
Farmhouse (grade II), in particular, is reputed to contain building stone from an early
Elizabethan farmhouse that burned down in 1700. Nearby are the remains of
Watergarth, an Elizabethan farmhouse last inhabited in the 1920s and demolished in
1977.
Buildings with 18 th century origins are well-represented in Blindcrake, for example
farmhouses such as Blindcrake Hall (datestone D & J G 1728), Low Farmhouse
(datestone W & S C 1729), Croft House, Westgate Farmhouse, Grange Farmhouse and
High Farmhouse (datestone JOHN AND MARTHA BLAICKLIN 1730). Cottages such
as Smithy Cottage, Sunnybrow, Old Hall, Ghyll Bank House and Clints View probably
date from the mid-18th century, though much altered and extended. All of these
buildings are notable for the use of locally available building stone and, where original,
small window and door openings in relation to building frontage.
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The Flaggs and 1 & 2 London Row probably date from the early 19 th century. They have
a higher ridge height and wider frontage than earlier rows of stone cottages such as
Beech House/Skiddaw View and Clints Cottage, reflecting taller room sizes and heights.
Both rows open almost directly onto the street, the former with a stone-flagged apron,
and the latter with a cobbled pavement. Blindcrake Hall and Elder Tree House (which
date from the mid-18 th century) appear to have been given Georgian facades at the start
of the 19 th century, perhaps an ostentatious indication of wealth.
Notable 19 th century Georgian and Victorian buildings include Greenbank (1832),
Crabtree Cottage (1836), Meadow View (1847), Mountain View (c.1850) and Woodlands
(1876). These buildings are very similar in design, being two storeys in height (but
significantly taller than earlier stone cottages) with a symmetrical three-bay frontage, with
gable end chimney stacks and central front entrance.
Fig. 31 Croft House, a grade II listed building.
Typically, quoins and window surrounds have been
highlighted with colour.
Fig. 32 Blindcrake Hall. This façade has been
added to an earlier building. A datestone to the rear
reads: ‘D & T G 1728’.
At the end of the 19 th century a Mission Room, Reading Room and Methodist Chapel
(1894) were converted out of a mid-18 th century terrace of stone cottages. The process
of conversion of existing buildings continues to this date with several barns, a pub, a
former chapel and a smithy being converted to residential use in the second half of the
20 th century.
The conservation area’s 20 th century buildings are unremarkable. The Oaks,
comprising four dwellings in two semi-detached blocks, are typical post-war (1949)
houses for agricultural workers. The impact of late 20 th century infill bungalows and
houses on the historic character and appearance of the village is mitigated by their
generally small scale, deep set-back from the road and front stone boundary walls.
Agricultural vernacular: longhouses and bank barns
The conservation area is notable for its characteristic north Cumbrian farm-related
buildings. Though some have been converted to new uses, many remain, at least in
part, in agricultural use. Of particular note are the area’s ‘longhouses’ and ‘bank barns’.
A longhouse in this context is a two-storey building in which residential quarters and
livestock shelters were housed under one continuous roof, i.e. a barn and dwelling under
one roof, typically with a cross passage between them. Typical examples are Low Farm,
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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Fig. 33 Ventilation slits in the agricultural part of a
longhouse, i.e. a barn and dwelling under one roof.
Fig. 34 A traditional bank barn with direct access to
the upper storey at the rear.
High Farm, Main Farm, Croft House and barn, and Grange Farm, all dating from the 18 th
century. Bank barns are two-level buildings built on sloping land with direct access from
the ground to both levels. They are normally built into a bank or slope and access to the
upper storey is from the bank (or occasionally via a ramp). Typically, a Lakeland bank
barn would have upper floor for fodder storage and lower level for animal quarters.
There is a typical bank barn at Holm Farm.
Materials and construction details
Stone is the predominant building material. There is an old quarry and limekiln west of
the village (O.S. Grid reference NY 144345). Most historic buildings are built with local
limestone but in many cases the stonework has been covered with a rough-cast render.
In general, the dwellings, requiring warmth and resistance to water penetration, have
been rendered to protect their vulnerable lime mortar joints. Utilitarian animal and
storage barns still retain exposed external stonework often with recessed mortar joints
that create shadows between the courses which adds to the textured appearance of the
wall. Door and window surrounds are made of large lengths of cut stone, often red
sandstone
Fig. 35 Most agricultural buildings retain exposed
stonework.
Fig. 36 A roof of graduated greenslate with the
smallest sized slates at the ridge.
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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There is a recurring modern motif of contrasting the colour of the render with the colour
of the surrounds – Westgate Farm has white render with red surrounds, Blindcrake Hall
has cream render with blue surrounds, High Farm has a white render with black
surrounds.
Local red sandstone is occasionally used for window and door surrounds, for example at
the barn at Low Farm and The Flaggs. Greenbank has a sandstone chimney stack. An
outbuilding at High Farm has sandstone quoins. Walls are mostly built of uncoursed
random rubblestone with large squared quoins of long and short stonework. The barn
at High Farm has large boulder stones in its construction. Some rendered houses such
as Blindcrake Hall and Croft House have quoins highlighted with a deeply-cut V-groove.
The south gable of Greenbank is, unusually, clad with slate-hanging.
Old roofs are mainly of graduated greenslate, i.e. stone slates of varying size laid in
diminishing courses and random widths such that the smallest slates are at the ridge,
graduating to large slates at eaves level. Welsh slate is not uncommon but this building
material, and brick, would not have arrived in the village until after transport improved
with the coming of the railway to Cockermouth in the 1840s. Brick is, anyway,
uncommon. Yellow brick walling can be seen at Bryn Howe, a barn conversion, and the
former abattoir to the rear of Ghyll Yeat. Similar bricks are used for chimney stacks at,
for instance, Low Farmhouse and Blindcrake Hall. Modern tiled roofs at The Old Post
Office and Rose Farmhouse do not harmonise with the prevalent stone vernacular.
Fig. 37 Typical vernacular building details at High
Farm. Note the large boulder stones in the wall.
Fig. 38 Windows have been added to this former
agricultural barn as part of a residential conversion.
As noted above, window and door surrounds commonly have stone surroundss.
Westgate Farmhouse, Croft House and the barn at High Farm have doorways with
alternate long and short blocks topped with a single stone lintel. The front door lintel is
sometimes the site of incised datestones, for example the ‘John and Martha Blaicklin’
datestone at High Farmhouse. The 1728 datestone at the ‘back’ of Blindcrake Hall
probably indicates that this side of the building was the front entrance before the
Georgian façade was added to the other side of the building c. 1800.
Windows are deeply recessed as a protection against the harsh climate. Older window
openings were small and almost rectangular in shape producing the characteristic
dominance of solid (wall) over void (window). Such small openings are both a reflection
of low floor-to-ceiling heights and the difficulty of manufacturing large sheets of glass.
Later windows, especially those constructed or altered post-1800, have a marked
vertical emphasis, accommodating timber sliding sash windows. The more recent the
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
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building, the larger the window openings tend to be, and the fewer panes used in the
sliding sashes – compare Greenbank (1836) with Woodlands (1876).
Of note are the arched windows in the old chapel, indicating its former ecclesiastical use
and the remnants of a stone-mullioned window, a typically 17 th century feature, in the
ruined building by Thorneycroft. Dormers are uncharacteristic. Farm buildings have few
openings except where necessary for access or loading/unloading. Ventilation is by
means of narrow slit vents.
The joinery in historic buildings would originally have been timber, but historic timber
joinery in many historic buildings has been replaced with aluminium or uPVC, nearly
always to the detriment of the host building because of the loss of original historic fabric
and alteration of glazing pattern.
Listed buildings
A listed building is one that is included on the Government’s Statutory List of Buildings of
Special Architectural or Historic Interest. These buildings are protected by law and
consent is required from the Lake District National Park Authority before any works of
alteration, extension or demolition can be carried out. Listed buildings are marked on the
Townscape Appraisal map. These are:
1. Covered well behind telephone box grade II
2. Blindcrake Hall grade II
3. Croft House and barn adjoining grade II
4. Westgate Farmhouse and adjoining barns grade II
5. Grange farmhouse and barn adjoining grade II
6. Low Farmhouse and barns adjoining grade II
7. High Farmhouse and barn adjoining grade II
Fig. 39 Grange Farmhouse, listed grade II.
Fig. 40 Westgate Farmhouse, listed grade II.
Significant unlisted buildings
A number of unlisted buildings have been identified on the Townscape Appraisal map as
being “Buildings of Special Character”. These buildings vary, but commonly they will be
good examples of relatively unaltered historic buildings where their style, detailing and
building materials provides the streetscape with interest and variety. Most importantly,
they make a positive contribution to the special interest of the conservation area. Where
building has been heavily altered, and restoration would be impractical, they are
excluded.
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6 Negative features and issues
Loss of historic interest
Some of the buildings within the conservation area are suffering from an incremental
loss of architectural detail. The use of inappropriate modern materials, such as the
replacement of original timber windows with uPVC is adversely affecting both listed and
unlisted buildings.
Inappropriate alterations
There are instances where buildings have been extended or altered in a manner which
neither reflects nor harmonises with the traditional design and materials of the buildings
in the village. There have occasionally also been alterations to door and window
openings that have upset the composition of a frontage.
Road repairs
Following the floods of November 2009 the state of repair of roads within the
conservation area, and further afield, is a cause for concern. In particular, the formation
of potholes and erosion of road edges is unsightly and can be dangerous.
State of repair of the barn at Low Farm
Buildings in the conservation area are generally in a good state of repair, but the twostorey
barn adjacent to Low Farmhouse (listed grade II) is roofless, in a serious state of
disrepair and currently an eyesore. The former Moota inn is also in need of remedial
works.
Maintenance of walls, hedgerows and field boundaries
The conservation area contains a substantial network of hedgerows and stone walls,
some of which are in need of maintenance or repair or are poorly managed. Failure to
repair and maintain traditional stone walls would detract considerably from the character
and appearance of the conservation area. Lack of maintenance of the boundaries
between the medieval strip fields could, over a period of time, result in the loss of their
historic interest.
Large-scale farm buildings
Modern farming practices require large covered spaces and storage areas. The
introduction of large-scale buildings which do not respect local vernacular building
materials and character is in danger of eroding local character particularly in the upper
part of the village.
Pointing of stonework
Re-pointing of stonework, where necessary, should be carried out with care by a skilled
craftsman. The stonework, not the mortar, should remain the dominant visual element.
This is not always the case.
Overhead wires
The village is marred by an unattractive wirescape of power and telephone cables.
Many villages in the area have had such wires removed and this would be a very
desirable enhancement for the village.
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Main Farmhouse, mid-18 th century
Rose Farmhouse, mid 18 th -century
London Row (c. 1800)
The Flaggs (c.1800)
Greenbank (1832) Meadow View (1847)
Fig 41: Examples of 18 th and 19 th century buildings in Blindcrake Conservation Area.
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PART 2 - CONSERVATION AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Aims of the management plan
The designation of a conservation area is a means to safeguard and enhance the sense
of place, character and appearance of our most valued historic assets and places.
However, we also recognise that conservation areas are living environments that will
continue to evolve and adapt. Designating a conservation area does not prohibit change
or new development. However, it does involve carefully managing changes to ensure
that the character and appearance of these areas is safeguarded and enhanced for the
benefit of present and future generations.
The local community has a vital role to play. We appreciate that the special character of
an area is often the reason why people chose to stay and live in the area in the first
place. The area cannot be managed without a shared understanding of what is important
and what needs to be done. Conservation Area status actually brings very few
additional legal controls and the involvement of residents and businesses is essential to
realise the benefits of designation. Maintaining the character of the area is, therefore, a
joint endeavour between ourselves and anyone who is responsible for proposing new
development or undertaking repairs, maintenance, enhancement and minor alterations.
This includes the highway authority (Cumbria County Council), the district council, parish
council, civic societies, local businesses and residents.
1.2 The benefits of designation
Conservation Area designation brings the potential for significant benefits by protecting
the interests of the whole community. The benefits of designation can be summarised
as follows:
the potential to identify and protect existing features or buildings to retain an
area’s unique and special character
the more sensitive design of new development and protection from
unsympathetic and damaging change
ensuring that important historic buildings are protected from demolition
preventing the loss or damage to trees which contribute positively towards the
area’s special character
the promotion and co-ordination of desirable enhancements
encouraging an understanding of an area’s history
ensuring that an area’s sense of place is conserved, particularly the significance,
memories and associations it has for local people
promoting the use of local and traditional craft skills
encouraging the use of local and traditional building materials. These are often
more environmentally friendly and sustainable than modern products.
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The purpose of the management plan is to help deliver these benefits. It presents
proposals to achieve the preservation and enhancement of the conservation area’s
special character, informed by the appraisal and forms the basis to involve the local
community in these proposals.
1.3 Legislative background
The designation and appraisal of any conservation area is not an end in itself. The
purpose of this document is to present proposals to achieve the preservation and
enhancement of the conservation area’s special character, informed by the appraisal,
and to consult the local community about these proposals. The special qualities of the
area have been identified as part of the appraisal process in the first section of this
document and both will be subject to monitoring and reviews on a regular basis.
The special qualities of the area have been identified as part of the appraisal process.
The management plan seeks to preserve and enhance these special qualities and
realise improvements and resolve the negative features and issues, which are identified
on Section 7 of the appraisal. The document satisfies the statutory requirement of
section 71(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990 namely:
“It shall be the duty of the local planning authority from time to time to formulate and
publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of any parts of their area which
are conservation areas.”
Section 69 [2] also states:
“It shall be the duty of the local planning authority from time to time to review the past
exercise of functions … and determine whether any further parts of their area should be
designated as conservation areas.”
The management plan reflects Government guidance set out in Planning Policy
Statement 5: ‘Planning for the Historic Environment’, English Heritage guidance titled
‘Guidance on the Management of Conservation Areas’ (August 2005), best practice
guidelines, policies within the Lake District National Park Local Plan (1998) and any
policies which supersede this in the Lake District Core Strategy 2010 together with such
guidance leaflets as ‘Converting an old building?’ and ‘Outdoor advertisements and
signs’.
In implementing this policy framework, our development management service aims to
preserve and enhance the special character of the conservation area. We recognise that
any such improvements do not have to be initiated and co-ordinated by us. The
valuable contribution of local environmental and community groups to positive
enhancement works, and the role of the Parish Plan, are also essential. Other agencies
and funding bodies also have a vital role to play.
1.4 Public consultation
The Blindcrake Conservation Area and Management Plan is created by collaborative
working between heritage consultants, the Lake District National Park Authority and the
local community. The appraisal and management plan is subject to a 4 week period of
public consultation commencing in the Autumn of 2010. This includes sending
consultation letters to residents and businesses placing the document on the Authority’s
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website and the provision of a public exhibition in the town. The document will
subsequently be amended to incorporate relevant suggestions and comments.
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1.5 Designation and extension
The appraisal has examined the conservation area boundaries and has identified that
the existing conservation area boundary, drawn up in 2001, is satisfactory.
1.6 Effects of designation
Designation as a conservation area brings a number of specific statutory provisions
aimed at assisting the “preservation and enhancement” of the area. These include
requiring Conservation Area Consent for the demolition of any unlisted building,
restrictions on advertisements, and requiring notice for proposed tree works. We will
seek to ensure that all development within the conservation area preserves or enhances
the character or appearance of the area.
Fig. MP1 The flat-roofed extension to the building on
the left, formerly a public house, does not harmonise
with the row of cottages.
Fig. MP2 Twentieth-century profiled roof tiles have
altered the appearance of this 18 th century building.
1.7 Listed Buildings
Listed buildings are protected by law as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and
Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The listing covers both the inside and outside of the
building, and any structure or building within its curtilage which was built before 1947.
Listed Building Consent is required from the Authority for any work which affects the
special architectural or historic interest of the listed building. There are currently 7 listed
buildings within the conservation area.
Extensions and alterations to listed buildings should conform with policy context outlined
in section 1.3 and should generally:
Take into account the prevailing forms of development;
Complement the form and character of the original building;
Be subordinate in bulk and scale to the principal building;
Use high quality materials and detailing;
Pay particular attention to roof lines, roof shape, eaves details, verge details and
chimneys.
We will seek to ensure that all works to a listed building have special regard to the
desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural
or historic interest that it possesses.
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1.8 Significant Unlisted Buildings
In addition to the listed buildings, there are many individual and groups of buildings and
associated features which are of considerable local interest and make a positive
contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area, and these are
shown as ‘Significant Unlisted Buildings’ on the Townscape Appraisal Map. A high
proportion of the buildings within the conservation area were identified by the townscape
appraisal to be Significant Unlisted Buildings. There is a presumption that all such
buildings will be retained, in accordance with Policy BE12 of the Lake District National
Park Local Plan (1998). We will ensure that the contribution that they make to the
character and appearance of the conservation area is carefully considered in relation to
all applications for extension, alteration and demolition of these buildings.
Fig MP3. Large areas of glazing are out of character
with historic buildings.
Fig. MP4 The former Moota Inn is in need of
remedial works (June 2010).
1.9 Enhancing and protecting the local character and features within the
conservation area
There is an opportunity to maintain and improve the character and appearance of the
conservation area simply by ensuring that day to day improvements, alterations and
maintenance of properties, however minor, are carried out sympathetically using good
quality materials and details. The local community has a big part to play in this and, over
time, the benefit to the conservation area can be very significant. The appraisal
identified that the following alterations can, cumulatively, seriously affect the special
character of the area and therefore need to be considered very carefully:
loss of timber windows and doors to uPVC alternatives
the replacement of traditional windows and doors with non-traditional and
anachronistic designs;
alterations to window/door openings;
the erection of porches;
minor installations and alteration of materials;
loss and alteration of boundary walls;
aerials, satellite dishes, alarms, downpipes and wires in prominent or highly visible
positions;
the use of non-traditional building materials, mortars and roofing materials.
To help retain and conserve traditional features and to prevent harm to single family
dwelling houses through alteration and extension we will consider introducing an Article
4 Direction. This would remove permitted development rights which allow unsympathetic
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alterations to be made without planning permission. Such a Direction would require
consultation with the local community.
1.10 Trees
Within conservation areas, anyone intending lopping or felling a tree greater than 75mm.
diameter at 1.5 metres above the ground must give us six weeks written notice before
starting the work. This provides us with an opportunity of assessing the tree to see if it
makes a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area, in
which case we may decide to serve a Tree Preservation Order. The appraisal identifies a
number of significant trees and groups of trees on verges or within areas of public open
space and within private gardens. We will seek to consider the use of Tree Preservation
Orders in appropriate circumstances where a tree has significant amenity value and is
considered to be potentially under threat.
Fig. MP5 This 18 th century building has replacement
windows that are obviously modern.
Fig. MP6 Front boundaries are usually formed by
stone walls or hedges.
1.11 Enhancing and protecting views & the setting of the conservation area
The setting of the conservation area and views within, into and from the area are very
essential elements to its character and appearance. It is important that development,
enhancement and public realm work takes account of the setting of the conservation
area and important viewpoints and that these are preserved or enhanced so that the
special character of the conservation area is retained. This is especially important with
regard to large-scale farm buildings. Important views are identified on the Townscape
Appraisal map in the character appraisal.
1.12 Enhancement through new development, alterations and extensions
While there are very few opportunities for redevelopment within the conservation area,
some improvement or enlargement of the existing buildings may be possible subject to
sensitive design and good quality materials and details. There may be sites where
completely new development is acceptable. As the quality of the general environment
within the conservation area is already acknowledged by designation, we will encourage
well designed schemes using appropriate materials that respond positively to their
historic setting. This includes the encouragement of high quality contemporary and
sustainable design and materials.
1.13 Retaining and enhancing historic boundary treatments
Traditionally, most boundaries in the conservation area are defined by stone walls. There
is a small loss of these walls where routine maintenance and rebuilding of fallen sections
has not taken place. We will encourage the maintenance of traditional stone walls and
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seek their retention rather than their replacement with new non-traditional boundary
treatments.
1.14 State of repair of the barn adjacent to Low Farm
The barn adjacent to Low Farm is in a serious state of disrepair and, without remedial
action, the building is likely to deteriorate. We, as the Local Planning Authority, are
currently investigating this matter and considering enforcement action to secure the longterm
future of the building and to this end will consider using the full range of legally
available powers.
Fig. MP7 Field boundaries define the size and shape
of medieval field strips.
Fig. MP8 The barn at Low Farm is at risk of further
decay and in urgent need of attention.
1.15 Protection of medieval field pattern
The dispersed pattern of field strips is still retained in the present day land ownership,
and as long as the land remains sub-divided in this way then it is likely that field
boundaries will continue to be maintained and contribute to the landscape character. If
adjoining fields were to be joined (through the destruction of field boundaries), the
historical legacy of field strips would undoubtedly disappear.
The medieval field system is a heritage asset of considerable significance. We will use
our powers to secure the retention of the current field boundaries, including positive
enhancement and maintenance via agri-environment schemes.
1.16 Repair of roads and removal of overhead cables
The maintenance of the roads is the responsibility of the Highway Authority and
enhancement involving the removal of cables is the responsibility of the relevant utility
companies. We will liaise with our partners to support improvements and enhancements
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Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
2 MONITORING AND REVIEW
2.1 Boundary review
We will seek to review the boundary of the conservation area in accordance with best
practice and guidance on the management of the historic environment.
2.3 Document review
The appraisal and management plan will be reviewed every ten years. A review should
include the following:
A survey of the conservation area and boundaries;
An assessment of whether the detailed management plans in this document have
been acted upon, including proposed enhancements;
The production of a short report detailing the findings of the survey and proposed
actions and amendments;
Public consultation on the review findings, any proposed changes and input into the
final review.
24

Lake District National Park Authority: DRAFT Blindcrake Conservation Area Appraisal &
Management Plan
3 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brunskill R W Traditional Buildings in Cumbria 2002
CBA Assocs. Lake District National Park -
Landscape Character Assessment 2008
Denyer S
Traditional Buildings and Life in the
Lake District 1991
LDNPA Landscape Character Assessment 2007/8
The Lake District National Park Local Plan 1998
The Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure
Plan 2001–2016 2006
Low A Blindcrake Field Patterns (unpublished article) 1984
Parson & White History, Directory & Gazetteer of Cumberland 1829
Shackleton E H Lakeland Geology 1973
Winchester A England’s Landscape - The North-West 2006
Winter H E
A History and Survey of Blindcrake,
Isel and Redmain 1987
Blindcrake parish website:
www.blindcrake.org.uk
John Speed’s 1610 ‘Map of Cumberland and Carlisle’
Ordnance Survey First Edition (1867), Second Edition (1899), Third Edition (1923)
25